Last week I was on nytimes.com when a window popped up telling me that my computer was infected, that windows was infected and I was prompted to call a windows expert. It looked just like a Microsoft page - I have been on the internet since 1999 so I usually do not fall for these warnings.

Sometimes it's just plain hard to tell if your security team is really on top of things. They certainly seem to be, as they go about plugging security gaps, carrying out important-sounding procedures, and educating the rest of the staff about the dangers out there.

The contemporary world is rife with digital thieves. They’re penetrating the complicated data structures of huge credit-monitoring companies like Equifax, scooping up the personal information of millions of people. They’re releasing sensitive customer data to the public from discreet businesses like Ashley Madison.

WannaCry refers to ransomware that uses worm technology to infiltrate multiple computers across a network. It aims to exploit vulnerabilities in the Windows SMBv1 server to quickly and remotely compromise systems, encrypt files, and spread to other hosts.

As you may know, on May 12, hackers launched a global ransomware campaign against tens of thousands of corporate and governmental targets. The attack, known as WannaCry (also known as WannaCry, WCry, WanaCrypt, WanaCrypt0r, or Wanna Decrypt0r) is encrypting files and changing the extensions to: .wnry, .wcry, .wncry and .wncrypt, encrypts files on an infected computer and asks the computer's user to pay a ransom in order to regain access.

Do you feel secure against ransomware attacks because you have all your data assets copied to Veeam backups? Well, this isn't intended to panic you, but that feeling of safety and security has been shattered for businesses small and large by the insidious 'Samas' ransomware.

A cyberattack could cost an organization millions, but an employee within your company might be willing to give an outsider access to sensitive information via their login credentials for under £200. According to a report examining insider threats by Forcepoint, 14 percent of European employees claimed they would sell their work login credentials to an outsider for £200. And the researchers found that, of those who'd sell their credentials to an outsider, nearly half would do it for less.

Phishing scams are a form of social engineering attack, perpetrated by criminal-minded individuals who depend on human interaction to obtain information about an organization, or about data assets stored on computers. Most of these attacks come in the form of emails which seem very respectable and legitimate, and they often claim to be sourced from someone new to the company, or someone researching the company.

Are you getting ready to file your business tax by the IRS? It's time to think about safety and data confidentiality.

According to John Koskinen, IRS Commissioner, the Internal Revenue Service does everything in its power to shield taxpayers against criminal-minded individuals bent on identity theft, or other scams that aim to steal information or assets.